After an hour or so of sneaking and almost falling down more than one of the castles multiple outer walls they needed to scale to get out, an exhausted Burchard is sitting on a small bench in front of the decorative fountain that marks the center of the castle town. With his elbows on his knees, his head remains lowered as he attempts to catch his breath. He gets startled by someone taking a seat next to him and with his head shooting up, he looks over only to be relieved to see Éclair sitting there. She holds a cup up to him while saying, "here, you seem quite thirsty."

He takes the cup from her while chuckling a bit then responds, "thanks, you wouldn't believe it."

After chugging down the water, he looks back at her while asking, "so what's are next move? I assume we can't stay in town."

After taking a sip of her water, she replies, "there's no reason to believe that they know we escaped and with the commotion from the hero summoning, they shouldn't find out for a while so as long as we keep a low profile, we should be safe."

She takes another sip then continues, "besides, from what you told me about your capture, they didn't have time to make a picture of you so as long as you don't act suspicious, you should be able to move around freely."

He couldn't help but sigh in relief from hearing this but realizing something though, he becomes concerned while asking, "but what about you? I assume you've been here long enough for them to make a picture?"

She nods in agreement while replying, "you are correct; however, I am not planning to be here when they do discover our absence."

Satisfied with the reply, he starts looking around while asking, "alright, so what do we do now."

Having finished her water, she stands up while replying, "for now we need to get some proper provisions and equipment. Fortunately for us, I know of a few trusted people with shops nearby, we can start there."

He gets to his feet then with a smile responds, "lead the way."

Though the streets were lively with multiple people and things to distract him with, he couldn't help but continue to look at the back of Éclairs head curiously while thinking, "she can be a bit annoying and bossy, but she doesn't seem to be a bad person. I wonder why she was in prison?"

He wanted to ask but before he could, she stops in front of a shop while saying, "we're here."

He comes to a stop next to her and looks at the small shop in front of them and while reading the sign, thinks to himself, "I can't read the words but that is a picture of an anvil…. This must be a blacksmith."

As if she was reading his mind, she starts walking towards the front door of the shop while saying, "this blacksmith has been a friend to my family for quite sometime, he should be able to help us."

As they walk inside, Burchard couldn't help but marvel at all the cool and shiny things within. While he finds himself mesmerized by a shiny sword, the man behind the counter looks up from what he was doing, but when he sees éclair walking up to him, he suddenly goes wide eyed while saying, "éclair?"

With a smile, she responds, "hello Erhard, it has been a while."

The man stood there shocked until he seems to come back to his senses while saying, "you shouldn't be here."

Noticing the commotion happening at the counter, Burchard looks over as Éclair looks back at the man with a sly grin while responding, "now now, is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

Hearing this doesn't seem to help his shocked state of mind as he responds, "old friend or not, if you are here then that means you escaped from prison and they'll most likely look for you here first."

Unfazed by the outburst, she continues to smile innocently back at him while saying, "you do not need to worry about a thing, the royal guards should still be unaware of my escape. Besides, we are only stopping by for equipment then we shall be on our way."

He couldn't help but stare at her with worry, but realizing that there was nothing he could do, he simply sighs then says, "fine…."

With a smile, he continues, "then what can I get for you?"

Éclair motions to Burchard while continuing, "me and my companion are in need of equipment. I shall take my usual, however he might need some help."

With a raised eyebrow, he looks past Éclair at a confused looking Burchard. He looks him up and down a few times then asks, "since you're a summoned being, I take it you've never bought weapons or armor before?"

Surprised to hear this, he couldn't help but look back at him confused while asking, "how could you tell?"

While still studying him, Erhard replies, "well for starters, the way you were looking at that sword over there makes me think you've never seen one before."

He motions to Burchard while continuing, "and one of the summoned heroes came in here about an hour ago, and he was dressed pretty similar to you."

Again, he was surprised to hear this so he asks, "really? Which one?"

He thinks for a moment then replies, "it was the shield hero, had that princess malty with him to."

For some strange reason, Éclair looked back at him with a mix of surprise and concern while putting a hand to her chin and thinking out loud, "Malty's with the shield hero? That cannot be a coincidence, it must be part of her and Aultcray's plan."

Realizing something though, she starts looking around and isn't exactly surprised to see Burchard and Erhard looking back at her with confusion. Realizing now wasn't the time, she simply brushes it off by saying, "that isn't important at the moment."

She looks over to Burchard while saying with an innocent smile, "I know what I'm looking for so why don't you get his help with what you need."

She walks off to one of the weapons stands while Burchard looks back at Erhard while asking, "alright, so what do you think I need?"

Erhard puts a hand to his chin to think while studying Burchard until finally snapping his fingers and replying, "I know just the thing!"

After a few minutes of being practically dragged around the store and given a handful of armor and equipment, he finds himself standing in the change room while looking at the pile of armor in front of him and asking himself, "just how exactly am I supposed to put this on?"

He lifts up the chainmail and after studying it for a moment, he simply sighs then continues, "guess ill just have to figure it out."

After fighting with the armor and pinching himself more than once for a few minutes, Burchard finally pulls back the curtain and takes a step out to see Éclair in a black and gold trimmed uniform along with a sword on her hip. She looks him up and down once, then with a smile says, "yes, this should work quite well."

Though he was thankful that she approved, he still felt a bit uncomfortable in the chainmail that was fitted with a few pieces of metal armour which protected vital areas which is then covered with some black cloth. He couldn't help but look himself over while saying, "it's strange, this should all be incredibly heavy, but I still feel nimble?"

A bit surprised to hear this, she was about to say something but before she could, Erhard steps next to her while saying, "glad you like it, this armour set is made with a magically enchanted metal which is only a third of the weight but just as strong."

He taps his forearms while continuing, "and those dull blades running down your arms have been enchanted to absorb 95% of blunt force, makes it perfect for defence."

Surprised to hear this, Burchard raises his arm and studies the unique blade while asking, "if that's the case then why not make a whole set of armour using that enchantment?"

As he looks back at Erhard, he was surprised to see the uneasiness he was sporting while replying, "well to be honest, it takes a considerable amount of skill and magic to use that enchantment which means it's pretty expensive."

He taps the blade while continuing, "in fact, you're probably the only one in town to have it."

He was surprised to hear this, but a question does come to mind as he asks, "then why are you giving it to me?"

To his surprise, Erhard starts to sport a strangely innocent smile and while scratching the back of his head, he replies, "well since you're still new here, I figured you'd want the best of the best!"

Though it was a reasonable response, Burchard couldn't help but look back at him suspiciously while thinking, "he just wants to get rid of it doesn't he?"

He wanted to confront him about it, but realizing that he probably shouldn't, he simply sighs in annoyance then inspects the blades on his arms once more while saying, "thanks."

While still smiling, Erhard responds, "don't mention it!"

Though he was feeling a bit annoyed, Burchard couldn't think about this for long as Erhard ushers him to a table while saying, "now that you're armoured up, let's get you some proper weapons!"

Burchard was admittedly surprised to hear this since he didn't really think about this since he was too preoccupied with the armour but now that he was standing in front of a table piled high with an assortment of beautifully crafted swords, his eyes couldn't help but sparkle while muttering, "there all so shiny."

As he studies each and everyone in eager anticipation, he gets taken out of his strange trance by Erhard who places a relatively basic looking sword in front of him while saying, "this is the only one I can offer you."

A bit confused to hear this he continues to stare at the dull looking sword, but before he could ask, Éclair steps in while asking, "only a basic steel sword? Why can't he purchase one of your better wares?"

While scratching the back of his head in disappointment, Erhard responds, "unfortunately, the king has ordered that the sale of all high-end weaponry be halted until the cardinal heroes come and pick ones to their liking."

Surprised to hear this, Éclair responds, "really? I understand them getting special treatment, but this seems a bit excessive."

Erhard couldn't help but sigh in response then says, "believe me, none of the weapons merchants in town are happy about it."

He reaches behind the counter then places a basic looking bow in front of Burchard while continuing, "that's why I can only offer you a basic bow as well."

Feeling a bit disappointed, Burchard picks up the sword and bow then while inspecting them states, "well as long as they work, it shouldn't matter how flashy they are."

Seeing the disappointment in his eyes causes Erhard to feel bad, but with a thought coming to mind, he walks over to a wall of shields while saying, "yah know, it was the strangest thing. They ordered that the weaponry be off limits, yet the shields were left unaffected by the order."

Confused to hear this, Éclair couldn't help but say, "hmm, it's starting to become very apparent that the king has no need to hide his disdain for the shield hero."

As Erhard pulls a shield off the wall, he responds, "yeah, I was getting the same feeling. I wonder why he'd let his own daughter hang around him?"

Hearing this cause's éclair to sigh then responds, "I fear it is part of a bigger plot."

As the two continue their conversation, Burchard could only watch with a mix of intrigue and confusion while thinking, "I have no idea what their talking about? I have a strange feeling I'm gonna be outside the loop on a lot of things here."

Noticing him standing there, Erhard walks over to him with a shield while saying, "well that's not important at the moment, right now I'm interested in seeing what you think of this?"

Burchard takes the shield from him and once more is surprised by how light it was. He inspects the face of the shield which is decorated with some type of two headed hound and on the back, it had the handle to the far left and a leather arm strap in the center, perfect for a lefty like himself. He straps the shield to his arm and moves it around while saying, "it feels amazing."

With a smile, Erhard responds, "glad you like it."

While continuing to look at the shield, Burchard asks, "does it have any magical properties?"

While still smiling, a look of glee crosses his face while he replies, "I was hoping you would ask."

Burchard became confused when he saw him reach into his pocket and pulls out a small coin then starts flipping the coin into the air while saying, "this shield has a very unique enchantment called ricochet."

Still confused as to what that meant, he was about to ask but before he could, Erhard whips the coin right at his head. In a panic, Burchard instinctively raises his arm with the shield to protect himself and as he does, the coin makes contact with the shield but as soon as it does, the coin gets sent flying back at Erhard at great speed who catches it. Seeing this, Burchard slowly lowers the shield and looks at him with a mix of confusion and suspicion while Erhard says, "the effect of the ricochet enhancement is to send anything that hits it back at the sender at twice the initial velocity."

Surprised to hear this, Burchard looks at the shield with intrigue while saying, "really? That sounds pretty powerful."

Erhard responds, "it is, but just be careful with it, the effect does have a cool down, the harder the hit, the longer the cool down and while in it's cool down faze, it only acts as a regular shield."

Though that was a downside, Burchard couldn't help but continue to marvel at the unique shield in his hands then with a smile, he looks back at Erhard while saying, "yeah I'll take it."

Hearing this causes Erhard's smile to grow while responding, "glad to hear!"

He walks behind his counter while continuing, "for the armour and weapons, that'll be 5 gold pieces."

While éclair appeared to be surprised to hear this, Burchard wasn't sure if that was considered expensive or cheap but not wanting to cause to much of a fuss, he reaches into his money pouch while saying, "alright then."

For some strange reason, Erhard seemed surprised to see him do this and with his curiosity getting the better of him, he asks, "am I doing something wrong?"

Erhard continues to look at him confused while replying, "well usually you're supposed to haggle for a better deal."

Before Burchard could respond, Éclair steps in while asking, "is that why you were charging more than usual?"

Surprised to hear this, Burchard starts to suspiciously look at a now innocently smiling Erhard while asking, "that true?"

Though he tried his best to keep up the act, Burchard's accusing gaze became too much and while scratching the back of his head, responds, "how about 3 gold coins?"

Again, Burchard wasn't sure if that was a good deal or not but when he sees Éclair smiling back at him while nodding in agreement, he becomes satisfied with the price, he hands over the 3 gold coins while saying, "pleasure doing business with you."

While taking the money, Erhard couldn't help but sigh then resumes his more natural smile while responding, "no problem! Anything else you two need?"

Not thinking of anything, Éclair simply shakes her head then replies, "not at the moment. Thank you for your help."

As they start to leave, Erhard responds while waving, "you're very welcome! And try to stay out of trouble!"

Éclair couldn't help but chuckle at this while responding, "I shall try my best."

Now outside, the pair walk down the street while Burchard continues to adjust his new equipment while asking, "alright. Where to next?"

After seeming to think for a moment, she stops in front of another store front and looks over at him while replying, "I will be able to purchase the rest of what we need in this store."

With an eager grin, he starts walking toward it while saying, "alright, let's get…"

He pauses however when she puts her arm out to stop him in his step, and as he looks over at her with confusion, she says, "I know what we shall need, therefore your assistance is not needed."

Still confused, he couldn't help but ask, "then what am I supposed to do?"

She thinks for a moment then replies, "do you know how to use your menu?"

Unsure of what she was talking about, he asks, "no. What is that?"

A bit surprised to hear this, she responds, "it's a common thing in this world. Everyone has a menu that shows stats and abilities. It even shows you what level you are and the people in your party."

Intrigued to hear this, he starts to curiously pat himself down while asking, "really? Where is it?"

Not finding anything out of the ordinary, he becomes confused, though when he hears a stifled laughter, He looks up only to see Éclair holding a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh. Becoming a bit annoyed, he asks, "what's so funny?"

Realizing that she was caught, she lowers her hand but continues to smile while replying, "I am sorry for smiling, it is just that I find your behaviour quite amusing."

Now not only annoyed but also embarrassed, he could only turn red at this point while saying, "you gonna tell me about this menu thing or just keep laughing?"

Though she was still smiling, she does try and be serious while saying, "alright. For starters, it isn't physical."

Still annoyed, he mutters back, "could have said that to begin with."

A bit amused by his embarrassed demeanour, she continues, "it is quite straight forward, to summon your menu, you must concentrate and envision it in front of you."

A bit surprised by the simplicity of this, he starts to concentrate and right as he pictures it, a blue, semi-transparent screen appears in front of him. His eyes go wide as he continues to look at it then looks over at her while saying, "you're right! It appeared right in front of me!"

With a satisfied smile, she responds, "I'm glad to hear this. Another thing to know is that only you and you alone can see your own menu."

He only half heard this as he started tapping on the screen, seeing this Éclair could only smile then walks towards the store while saying, "I should not take long. Do try your best to figure out the basics."

With that, she disappears into the store while Burchard continues to eagerly tap away on the screen while saying to himself, "alright, so level, health and exp total are in the top right. The options seem to be lining the left side of the screen with buttons like companions, skills, a map and even recipes! When you tap the skills tab, a symbol in the center of the screen with branches that go to other symbols with a lock symbol over them appears. I must need to unlock those…. But how?"

He puts a hand to his chin to think about this, but as he only draws blanks, Éclair comes back out of the store holding two bag which are adorned with what appears to be a small cloth tent and sleeping bag along with a kettle and pot. She holds one out to him while saying, "here, i got you the basics along with a few potions for healing and stamina. With this you should be all set."

He takes the bag and after studying it for a moment, he hoists it onto his back but when he looks back at her, he is surprised to see her holding up a book while saying, "I also got you this, it is a magically enhanced book that will teach you how to read and write in this worlds language."

Realizing that he never really thought about the language barrier, he gladly takes the book from her while responding with a smile, "thanks, so what do we do now?"

To his surprise, she starts to look a bit sad while replying, "it is sad to say that this is where we part ways."

He was shocked to hear this while asking, "what? But why?"

She replies, "due to me being considered a high value prisoner, they will take great efforts in recapturing me. I should not have a problem evading capture on my own, however if we stay together then the chances of not only my capture but also yours will rise exponentially, therefore I must go alone."

Though he wanted to argue with her, the look of determination in her eyes tells him that it would only waist time. Realizing that she also made a sound argument, he sighs in defeat then tries his best to smile back at her while saying, "okay…. Well though we have only known each other for less than a day, I'd be lying if I say I won't miss you."

With the look of sadness still filling her expression, she does smile back at him while saying, "likewise, though I have a feeling that we shall meet again."

He couldn't help but chuckle from hearing this then responds, "yeah, I just hope that we can meet under better circumstances next time."

While still smiling, she starts to walk away while saying, "I'm sure we will, farewell Burchard."

As she walks down the road, he could only wave while responding, "goodbye Éclair."